Taotie

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Taotie (饕鬄)
Alias(es)	Taotie Civilization; Taotie of the Styx Galaxy 2 8
Species/Race	A biological civilization whose higher-ranking warriors preserve their consciousness in machinery 9
Affiliation	A subsidiary civilization of Death God Karl; its warriors are described as blessed by him 3 9
Occupation/Role	Interstellar invasion force targeting Earth 2 9
Status	Active; its advance fleet has entered the Chi Wu Star System and begun approaching Earth 15
First Appearance	Mentioned in 2; a Taotie warrior appears in 3

Background

The Taotie Civilization originates from the Styx and serves as one of Death God Karl's most powerful surface civilizations. It is described as having abandoned humanity in pursuit of greater destructive power: Karl's research into Phantom Bodies enabled Taotie consciousness to be preserved inside machinery. 9

Its military is preparing a large-scale invasion of Earth. Early reconnaissance identifies Tianhe City as a vulnerable target, while Taotie commanders assess Earth's conventional and aerial forces as incapable of breaching their defenses. 9 Their advance force later enters the Chi Wu Star System with a vanguard flagship, ten firepower ships, and numerous aircraft. 15

A Taotie warrior launches an early attack on Juxia City's Liuyun Airport, killing civilians and police officer Qi Lin before Chen Yi intervenes and kills it. 3 Taotie forces also capture the weakened Crocodile God Soton, though their operation causes civilian casualties through crossfire. 5

Organization

Rank / Unit	Known members or function
Taotie King	Shi Ji commands the Taotie army from the Command Ship and has replaced his entire body with blue-white mecha. 9
Commanders	Wind Thunder and Xiong Lu are full-body blue-white mecha commanders. Jing E and Ting Feng serve under Wind Thunder during the Earth operation. 9 15
Taotie soldiers	Lower-ranking soldiers who have not abandoned their flesh. 9
Void Warriors	Wind Thunder, Xiong Lu, Jing E, and Ting Feng are described as consciousness-only warriors in blue-and-white armor. 15

Fleet hierarchy

1. Command Ship — Shi Ji's flagship.
2. Battleships
3. Vanguard Flagships / Great Cross Ships — equipped with Cross Barriers that absorb solar energy.
4. Main Ships
5. Firepower Ships
6. Transport Ships
7. Gunboats and aircraft 9

Appearance

Taotie combatants are commonly seen in blue-and-white or black armor, often operating from aerial war machines. Higher-ranking Taotie have replaced their bodies with blue-white mechanical forms. 3 5 9

• A Taotie attacker in Juxia City wears full blue-white armor. 3
• The Earth-operation commanders are covered head to toe in blue-and-white armor. 15
• Taotie deployed to capture Soton wear black armor and ride war machines. 5

Abilities & Combat Capabilities

Mechanized bodies

Taotie commanders and King Shi Ji preserve their consciousness in mecha bodies, having abandoned their original flesh. 9

• This transformation is associated with substantially greater destructive power. 9
• Commanders are capable of functioning as consciousness-only “Void Warriors.” 15
• Not all Taotie soldiers have undergone this conversion. 9

Energy weapons

Taotie warriors use laser weaponry in combat. 3

• A Juxia City warrior fires a laser cannon strong enough to blast Chen Yi away. 3
• During the Soton capture operation, Taotie weapons prove largely ineffective against Soton's Third Generation Divine Body but kill nearby civilians in the crossfire. 5

Aerial warfare

The Taotie field a large space fleet supported by firepower ships, gunboats, aircraft, and war-machine riders. 5 9 15

• Their vanguard flagship carries a solar-energy-absorbing Cross Barrier. 9
• The Earth advance force comprises one vanguard flagship, ten firepower ships, and countless aircraft. 15
• Their planned Earth strategy emphasizes low-altitude combat to avoid nuclear weapons. 15

Equipment / Vehicles

• Laser cannon — weapon used by the Juxia City Taotie warrior. 3
• Sword — wielded by the same warrior during close combat with Chen Yi. 3
• War machines — aerial vehicles used in the Soton capture operation. 5
• Grappling hooks — used to restrain and capture Soton. 5
• Vanguard Flagships / Great Cross Ships — solar-energy-absorbing fleet vessels. 9
• Firepower Ships, gunboats, and aircraft — support vessels and craft of the invasion fleet. 9 15

Relationships

• Death God Karl — patron and creator of the Taotie's consciousness-preservation method; the civilization operates as one of his subsidiary powers. 3 9
• Shi Ji — Taotie King and supreme leader of the Taotie army. 9
• Wind Thunder — commander directing strategy for the Earth invasion. 9 15
• Xiong Lu — commander who analyzes Earth's defenses and discusses the invasion with Wind Thunder. 9
• Soton — target of a Taotie capture operation on Earth. 5
• Earth / Xiong Bing Lian — intended invasion target and principal defending force. 2 15
• Chen Yi — killed a Taotie warrior during the Juxia City attack and vows to oppose the invasion. 3

Story Role / Major Arcs

Impending invasion

Angel Yan warns Chen Yi that the Taotie Civilization is about to invade Earth, establishing the Taotie as the central external threat facing the planet. 2

Juxia City attack

A lone Taotie warrior attacks Liuyun Airport, leaving corpses and rubble across the area. It kills Qi Lin before being decapitated by Chen Yi, who uses a spatial jump to strike from behind. 3

Capture of Soton

Several Taotie arrive on war machines to capture Soton after his descent into a Huaxia city. They ultimately restrain him with grappling hooks and remove him despite his resistance. 5

Earth invasion preparations

Taotie commanders gather near Pluto's Great Worm Bridge, plan their approach to Earth, and identify Tianhe City as an undefended target. Their vanguard fleet subsequently enters the Chi Wu Star System, placing Earth's defenders on combat alert. 9 15

Trivia

• The Taotie regard their preservation of consciousness within machinery as a path to power, while Angel Yan views the result as a loss of humanity. 9
• A Taotie warrior is confused that Earth has produced someone as strong as Chen Yi. 3